The South Vancouver Food Hub will replace the South Vancouver Food Bank, formerly held at Faith Fellowship Baptist Church. The South Vancouver Food Bank served an estimate of 160 households each week, including 35% seniors and 8% families with young children.

The new food hub is located at South Vancouver Neighbourhood House, 6470 Victoria Drive (at 49th Avenue) on Tuesdays from 10am-12pm. (This excludes the week when provincial Social Assistance cheques are issued).

This move to the South Vancouver Neighbourhood House enables individuals to connect to programs and services such as settlement support, family programs, language classes, seniors’ services, and other resources.

Transitioning from “food bank” to “food hub”

The food bank’s traditional charity model has been critiqued by advocates working in food security. By moving beyond this model, food hubs offer access to community services, family supports, and relevant education. This approach not only increases access to nutritious foods but also builds food skills, knowledge, and connections over a longer term.

This transition from food bank to food hub in South Vancouver is part of a broader strategy of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank‘. With the support of other service providers, they hope to transform their food distribution centres into more welcoming spaces.

More dignified access to food

The Greater Vancouver Food Bank is working to provide more dignified access to the space for their clients. Some strategies include introducing designated time slots to avoid the need for line ups, enabling clients to choose their own items and checkout when ready, and offering hot beverages or snacks. These are just a few of their efforts to reduce stigma and barriers at food banks and build connection between community members and neighbours.

For more information or to sign up as a food hub volunteer, please contact Leslie Topness at lesliet@foodbank.bc.ca.